Anti-Aparteid Activist Dies

Nelson Madela‘s ex-wife and apartheid activist Winnie Mandela died Monday morning (April 2nd) at age 81. According to VIBE, family spokesman, Victor Dlamini, confirmed Mandela’s passing, saying that she died due to an illness that she had been battling privately for the past year. Dlamini said, “She succumbed peacefully in the early hours of Monday afternoon surrounded by her family and loved ones.”

Winnie became known after taking over the fight against apartheid while then-husband Nelson was jailed for 27 years. She was the second of Nelson’s three wives and was married to him from 1958 to 1996.

• Desmond Tutu praised Winnie Mandela after learning of her passing. The retired archbishop said, “Her courageous defiance was deeply inspirational to me, and to generations of activists. She was defining symbol of the struggle against apartheid.”
• President Cyril Ramaphosa also shared kind words for the Mandela family, saying, “With the departure of Mama Winnie, [we have lost] one of the very few who are left of our stalwarts and icons. She was one of those who would tell us exactly what is wrong and right, and we are going to be missing that guidance.”
• According to Billboard, after hearing of Mandela’s death, people gathered outside of her home in the Soweto area of Johannesburg to sing tributes. Details regarding the memorial service have not yet been revealed, however, the family says the information will be shared when they are finalized.

BIO

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was born on September 26th, 1936 and was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician. She was born to a Xhosa family in Bizana. She studied social work at the Jan Hofmeyr School and married Nelson Mandela in 1958 in Johannesburg. They were married for 38 years and had two children together. In 1963, Nelson was imprisoned following the Fivonia Trial, which is when she became his public face during the 27 years he spent in prison.

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: The NDP's mishandling of drug use in B.C. hospitals

13h ago

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Who would survive if we had a recall law for City councils?

23h ago

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Strengthening our wildfire training

Apr 17, 2024

She was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) political party and served on the ANC’s National Executive Committee and headed its Women’s League. As a result of Mandela’s political activities, she was often detained by the National Party government, where she was tortured, placed on house arrest, kept under surveillance, held in solitary confinement for over a year and even banished to a remote town.

• In 1985, she won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. She also received a Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women in 1988. In December 1993 and April 1997, she was elected president of the ANC Women’s League. Mandela returned to politics in 2007 when the ANC announced its National Executive Committee, with Mandela placing first with 2,845 votes.
• In January 2018, University Council and University Senate of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, gave Mandela an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of her fighting efforts against apartheid.